Sawmill guard



Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES Ffri FEE.

Application July 18,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to sawmill appliances and more particularly to a guard mechanism for the saw and its associated power drive connections.

One important object of the present invention is to provide a novel guard arrangement for the saw and the driving mechanism therefor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard arrangement of the character designated which shall be conveniently adapted to any sawmill frame so as not to interfere with the economical operation thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guard arrangement of the character designated which shall be adjustably mounted and iiexble l in operation to permit unrestricted use of the saw and mechanism protected thereby.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guard of the character designated which shall be simple and durable in construction to effectively reduce accidental injuries of workmen to a minimum.

These and other objects of the invention Will be more manifest from the following specification and drawing and more particularly set forth in the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal View showing a section of a sawmill embodying my invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, there is shown a sawmill installation embodying a novel form of guard constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention.

A sawmill of the type to which my invention may be applied is of the heavy commercial open frame type and includes a rigid frame unit I for mounting a circular saw II, its driving unit I2, and a movable rack carriage I3 for feeding lumber to the saw as well understood in the art.

The frame IIJ supports a supplemental rectangular frame indicated by the numeral I4 for accommodating the saw II and its shaft I5 mounted in suitable bearings, one of which is indicated by the numeral I6. Rigidly connected to the saw frame is an adjacent rectangular l frame Il for accommodating a reduction belt driving unit I2 including a drive shaft I8 mounted in suitable bearings, one of which is indicated by numeral I9. The unit is connected to a suitable source of power indicated by the numeral 20.

1n sawmills of this type, the pulley unit I2, shafting I8, and saw II are all usually exposed in the open frame mounting, and workmen fre- 1935, Serial No. 32,086

quently become seriously injured due to the risks and hazards in operating such machinery, and it is to these parts that a guard embodying my invention is applied. Located at the corners of the power frame Il are rigidly mounted upright standards 2 I-Zi which form guard posts for the driving mechanism. These posts are adapted to form convenient supports or hand rests for a workman while oiling or otherwise attending the machinery while it is in motion.

Carried by the standards 2 I-2I is a horizontal rectangular frame 22; this frame is carried on corner members 23--23 telescoping with standards 2I-2i so that the same may be vertically adjusted by pins 2&-24 passing through holes 2li' in the members. The frame 22 carries a substantially flat rectangular horizontal saw guard member 25 hingedly connected thereto and overlying the upper portion of the saw I I and in close proximity thereto. The guard 25 is preferably made of sheet metal and provided with longitudinal rib reinforcing members 26. The outer edge ribs form side hand rails in convenient reach of a workman and which may be grasped should he accidentally fall toward the saw. The front and rear edges of the guard are curved upward as indicated by 2l so that the guard may be raised by large or uneven pieces of lumber that may be fed to the saw. The guard member 25 is hingedly connected to frame 22 by end plate members 23-23 secured at opposite ends of the frame 22. The guard 25 is connected to these end members by a pair of arms 29-29 connected to the end plates 28-28 by a pivot member indicated by the numeral 3E). In order to insure that the guard 25 shall be yieldably held in close proximity to the saw at all times, a coil spring 3l is connected to the frame 22 and an arm 32 on the guard arm 29. The arrangement is such that the entire space around the saw and saw frame is clear and unobstructed for all desired manipulation of the lumber or material worked upon. The arms 29 are each provided with an ear 3S adapted to engage an arcuate surface 34 on the support plate 28. Also found on this plate 23 is a stop 35 for limiting the downward movement of the guard 25 and rigidly holding the same relative to the saw.

Having thus `described a sawmill guard constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention, the operation and advantages thereof will be obvious. Thesaw guard 25 is maintained in proper horizontal position above the saw at all times by the spring 3 I and thus facilitates free and unobstructed use of the saw and the associatedV lumber carriage l I3. mechanism is .guarded by the guard support posts The saw driving employing my novel guardA construction, the

sawmill may be more eliciently attended without any of the hazards usually encountered in unprotected sawmills of the large commercial type. Y

I claim:

1. In a sawmill, the combination with a frame mounting for a saw anda power mechanism therefor, of a guard for said power mechanism comprising upright standards, a rectangular open frame carried by said standards, end Vplates connected to said frame and each having an arcuate guide surface including a stop, and a saw guard hingedly connected to said guide plates and having a portion engaging said arcuate surface and said stop to positively limit its swinging movement at a horizontal position relative to the saw.

Thus by 2. In a'sawmill, the combination with a frame V mounting for a saw and power mechanism therefor, of a guard rail frame surrounding said power mechanism, upright standards for rigidly supporting said frame, a horizontally disposed saw guard hingedly connected to said frame and overlying said saw, and rib membersrformed on the front and end portions of the saw guard Y to form hand rests thereon in substantially the same plane with the guard rail.

3. In a sawmill, the combinationwith a frame mounting for a saw and a power mechanism therefor, of. a guard'for said power mechanism comprising upright standards, a frame carried by said standards, a horizontally disposed saw guard hingedly connected to said frame and overlying said saw, a stop member for holding said saw guard in a horizontal position relative to said saw, a yieldable connection between said frame and saw guard for holding the saw guard ink engagement with said stop, and means for vertically adjusting the frame and saw guard.

GEORGE W. MYERS. 

